The Washington Post’s Fact Checker blog, though, took a look at how Harvard, whose researchers admitted they conducted “a quick study on a limited budget,” came up with that number and found that the methodology was ridiculously flawed:

In effect, the researchers took one number — 15 deaths identified from a survey of 3,299 households — and extrapolated that to come up with 4,645 deaths across the island. That number came with a very large caveat, clearly identified in the report, but few news media accounts bothered to explain the nuances.

Important: the 4,645 figure, estimated by Harvard University as being the number of people killed by hurricane Maria, has a range of possibility — the actual excess death count could be as low as 793 & as high as 8,498.

The Post’s Glenn Kessler updated his fact-check with new information as it came in: “More recent data released by Puerto Rico after this fact check was published suggests the number is closer to 1,400.”

Apparently, CNN didn’t get a chance to look at that more recent data, because CNN’s Jeremy Diamond is still reporting the number of dead as more than 4,600 … and taking a swipe at President Trump for not mentioning the debunked number in a meeting at FEMA headquarters Wednesday on the government’s preparations for hurricane season.

Still nothing from Trump on the 4,600+ estimated to have died from Hurricane Maria. Even as he visited FEMA for a hurricane briefing today. Instead, praise for officials' handling of the 2017 hurricane season https://t.co/t2TXnJXuiz

Here's another tweet that really needs to be ratio'd. Estimate was revised down to 1400, and FEMA actually did a kick butt job in 2017 considering the number of major hurricanes. But whatevs, Jeremy. https://t.co/vIospWNoQg

Harvard study had an insanely huge margin of error, putting a low estimate of 798 and a high of over 8,000, w/ a horribly unscientific methodology, & then touted the median 4,600 number. Other studies have a final tally much closer to sub-1,000. Want Trump to go in there & count?

You all are trying to manufacture a Katrina – Bush months after the fact using the shakiest of data that was based on extrapolating a small survey. If you ever wonder why Trump gets to much leeway from his base, it's because you are the proverbial boy who cried wolf.